You might have stumbled upon CVE-2021-33144 while looking through security bulletins, patch notes, or vulnerability databases. Maybe you found it referenced in your favorite security feed or even in a vulnerability scanner report. But if you dig deeper, you’ll notice something very peculiar about this CVE: it’s marked “REJECTED.” Today, let’s break down what that means, why it happens, and clear up confusion for anyone who encounters this unused CVE.

What Is CVE-2021-33144?

CVE stands for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures—a system used worldwide to catalog and identify security issues in electronic products. Every CVE entry (like CVE-2021-33144) is supposed to describe a specific vulnerability, often including a technical description, affected software, and sometimes even exploitation details.

But if you visit the official CVE page for CVE-2021-33144, you find this brief note:

> REJECTED
> Reason: This candidate was withdrawn by its requester. This candidate is unused and should not be referenced.

There are several possible reasons a CVE like CVE-2021-33144 gets rejected

1. Error in Submission: The submitter made a mistake about the vulnerability—for example, they misunderstood a bug or realized it wasn’t really a security issue after all.
2. Duplicate Entry: Sometimes, two entries are created for the same issue. One of them will then be rejected as a duplicate.
3. Out-of-Scope Report: The candidate may not fit the criteria for a CVE (e.g., it’s not a security issue, or it’s about unsupported or experimental software).
4. Requester's Withdrawal: The original requester or CNA (CVE Numbering Authority) realized the CVE number isn’t needed and formally asked to pull it back.

Specifically for CVE-2021-33144, it was rejected because it is unused. That means there’s no known vulnerability, no public exploit, and no patch required. Simply put, there’s nothing here.

Code Snippet: Don’t Panic!

Here’s a playful code snippet to help illustrate how you could safely “handle” CVE-2021-33144 in your own tracking scripts:

def check_for_cve_2021_33144():
    cve_id = "CVE-2021-33144"
    status = "rejected"
    reason = "unused"
    print(f"{cve_id} is {status} - {reason}. No action needed!")

check_for_cve_2021_33144()

Output

CVE-2021-33144 is rejected - unused. No action needed!

This light-hearted snippet just shows: if your scanner or dashboard mentions CVE-2021-33144, don’t stress over it.

What Should You Do If You See CVE-2021-33144 In A Report?

1. Verify its status: Always double-check with the official CVE record.
2. Ignore for now: Since it’s unused, there’s genuinely nothing more you need to do. No patches to apply; no systems in danger.
3. Clear up Confusion: If others on your team are concerned, forward them the official CVE page or this blog post.
4. Update your tools: Consider reporting to your vulnerability scanner’s vendor if they’re flagging this CVE as active. Keeping their databases accurate helps everyone.

Why Does This Still Show Up In Tools?

Vulnerability scanners, asset managers, and security dashboards sometimes pull in CVE data automatically. Sometimes, records tagged “REJECT” or “Unused” still make it through the pipeline, confusing end-users.

Original References

- CVE-2021-33144 Record (cve.mitre.org)
- NVD (National Vulnerability Database) Entry
- About Rejected CVEs

Final Words

Security is full of complexities, but CVE-2021-33144 is happily *not* one of them. You can safely move on to real threats and vulnerabilities!

If you found this post helpful, share it with your IT friends or team to save them some confusion. Stay secure—and don’t sweat the unused CVEs!

Timeline

Published on: 02/23/2024 21:15:09 UTC
Last modified on: 02/26/2025 06:26:24 UTC